Trees & the Sacred: The Arborealists & Guests

TREES AND THE SACRED THE ARBOREALISTS & GUESTS an exhibition of forty nine artists

28 April - 28 May 2022

Inside covers: DUAL: WOOD AND GRANITE by Kevin Tole Front and back cover: DIDNT KNOW THEN THAT I’D ALREADY LOST YOU by Lara Cobden

TREES AND THE SACRED THE ARBOREALISTS & GUESTS an exhibition of forty nine artists coordinated by Tim Craven | Lara Cobden | Claire Cansick | Alex Egan

28 April - 28 May 2022 open daily 10am to 4pm (3pm on Sundays) www.cathedral.org.uk www.arborealists.com

The Hostry |Norwich Cathedral | The Close | Norwich | Norfolk |

NR1 4DH

“Trees are sanctuaries.

Whoever knows how to speak to them, whoever knows how to listen to them, can learn the truth.

They do not preach learning and precepts, they preach undeterred by particulars, the ancient law of life.”

Hermann Hesse

INTRODUCTION

BY TIM CRAVEN

The Arborealists and invited artists mount an exhibition about trees and their sacred aspects throughout the culture from ancient to modern time.

Trees formed mankind's first temples, their first places of worship. In some cultures for thousands of years trees were the object of worship and peoples in Eastern Europe believed they would become trees post mortem.

Before the eternal flame became the road sign outside schools, it was the tree of learning. The 'learning' was the 'word', and that came from the Christian Bible, where the tree is often mentioned in the optimistic sense.

This exhibition will present new work by The Arborealists on the broad-brush theme of trees and sacred sites. It will aim to articulate the profound, spiritual essence of such sites, especially through the significance and emotive power of their trees.

Indeed a tree can be the central element of a sacred place.

Subjects might include churchyards, often protected by ancient yews, cathedral closes and abbey ruins that pervade a magical sensibility. Artists might also be drawn to sites of other faiths or folklore, and historic environments such as Avebury that held an especial mystical importance for our ancestors. The exhibition will engender a sense of peace and well-being, as well perhaps of mystery, and encourage a desire for contemplation and connection to a higher plane, appropriate for a cathedral gallery space.

Trees provide a wonderfully versatile subject for artists, not only in terms of the rich variety of form, texture and colour they provide, whether individually or collectively, but also through the wealth of association - myth, folklore, religious and symbolic significance, that they have come to embody over many centuries. In Britain, trees as a subject have inspired artists from Gainsborough and Constable through to the Pre-Raphaelites, the Neo-Romantics and the Ruralists. Piet Mondrian and Victor Pasmore used the tree as a device to turn abstract and Paul Nash famously stated that he loved and worshipped trees and believed they were people.

Each artist will be represented by just one work, in order to enrich the visual impact of the group’s diversity of practice. The exhibition will include interpretive wall-texts and artists’ talks and related workshops will enhance the programme and engage the community.

GUEST ARTISTS STEVE BAKER | MATILDA BEVAN | CAROLYN BLAKE | JAMES COLMAN | GARY COOK | JANE COURQUIN | FRANK CREBER | GRAHAM CROWLEY | MIKE DODD | FERHA FAROOQUI | ALEX FAULKNER | RICHARD GILBERT | DEBORAH GOATLEY-BIRCH | ELIZABETH HANNAFORD | MICHAEL JOHNSON | URSULA LEACH | CHARLES MCCARTHY | FLORA MCLACHLAN | ANGE MULLEN BRYAN | MELANIE ROSE |ANGELA RUMBLE | FRANCES RYAN | MELISSA SCOTT-MILLER | COLIN SELF | GIGI SUDBURY | PETER URSEM

EXHIBITING ARBOREALISTS MARY ANNE AYTOUN-ELLIS | RICHARD BAVIN | PHILIPPA BEALE | JOHN BLANDY | ROBERT A BROOKS | EMMA BUCKMASTER & JANET FRENCH | CLAIRE CANSICK | STELLA CARR | LARA COBDEN | TIM CRAVEN | ANNABEL CULLEN | ALEX EGAN | PAUL FINN | SARAH HARDING | MIKE HOLCROFT | NATASHA LIEN | FIONA MCINTYRE | PAUL NEWMAN | HOWARD PHIPPS | NAHEM SHOA | LESLEY SLIGHT | KEVIN TOLE | JACQUI WEDLAKE-HATTON | DAVID WISEMAN

MARY ANNE AYTOUN-ELLIS

THE WOOD I KNOW Egg tempera, watercolour, gesso on paper on mounted gessoed board 140 x 150 cm 2021 www.maryanneaytounellis.com | info@maryanneaytounellis.com

RICHARD BAVIN

LENT JOURNEY, TRETIRE Charcoal 50 X 70 cm 2010 £800 www.richardbavin.com | bavin400@gmail.com

PHILIPPA BEALE

ON EACH SIDE OF THE RIVER STOOD THE TREE OF LIFE Oil on canvas 187 x 137 cm 2018-2020 POA www.philippabeale.com | philippabealeart@gmail.com

JOHN BLANDY

ASH, ROUGH COMMON, WYTHAM WOODS Pastel on paper 60 x 50 cm 2019 £825 www.johnblandy.co.uk | jb@johnblandy.co.uk

ROBERT A BROOKS

GOD'S FOOTSTOOL AT DORSET Oil on canvas 60 x 84 cm 2021 NFS www.rabrooksfinearts.com | mbbrooks@hotmail.co.uk

EMMA BUCKMASTER & JANET FRENCH

ACER PSEUDOPLATANUS Etching on sycamore leaves 69 x 94cm £4200 www.buckmasterfrench.com | buckmasterfrench1@gmail.com

CLAIRE CANSICK

BEYOND SILENCE Oil on canvas 100 x 150 cm 2019 £3000 www.clairecansick.com | clairecansick@gmail.com

STELLA CARR

THE INFINITE FIELD Oil and crayon on lead ground on paper 62 x 76 cm 2022 £2250 www.stellacarr.co.uk.| stellacarr.artlandscape@gmail.com

LARA COBDEN

DIDN'T KNOW THEN THAT I'D ALREADY LOST YOU Acrylic on linen 183 x 122 cm 2022 £4750 www.laracobden.com | laracobden@gmail.com

TIM CRAVEN

KNILL CHURCHYARD Watercolour 40 x 54 cm 2022 £1200 www.thelondongroup.com/tim-craven | tim_craven@hotmail.co.uk

ANNABEL CULLEN

ASHVATTA Charcoal on paper 157.5 x 53 cm 2022 £1450 www.annabelcullen.com | beljoss@me.com

ALEX EGAN

IILLUMINATIONS AND BLESSINGS Acrylic and oil on wood 122 x 91 cm 2022 £3000 www.alexegan.co.uk |mail@alexegan.co.uk

PAUL FINN

GIFT Oil on canvas 102 x 122 2021 £1800 www.paulfinnartist.co.uk | p.finn@me.com

SARAH HARDING

BROMLOW CALLOW Egg tempera on gesso panel 20 x 30.5cm 2021 £3000 www.sarahmharding.co.uk | smharding@icloud.com

MIKE HOLCROFT

THE UNITARIAN CHURCH No 3 Charcoal / mix media 61.5 x 81 cm 2022 £1650 mikeholcroft@googlemail.com

NATASHA LIEN

REFUGEE ISLAND, GREECE Oil on canvas 66 x 104 cm 2021 £2500 www.natashalien.com | natasha.lien7@gmail.com

FIONA MCINTYRE

REVELATION MAGNOLIA SOULANGEANA, BISHOP'S PALACE WELLS Oil on canvas 90 x 100 cm 2016 £4950 www.fionamcintyre.com | fiona.me.mcintyre@gmail.com

PAUL NEWMAN

YEW GROVE IN HANOVER WOOD, SOMERSET/DORSET BORDER Graphite on Bristol Board 17 x 23 cm 2022 £650 www.paulnewmanartist.com | paulnewmanartist@gmail.com

HOWARD PHIPPS

HAWTHORN ON THE LYNCHETS Linocut 21.5 x 30 cm 2021 £445 www.howardphipps.co.uk | howardphipps@icloud.com

NAHEM SHOA

ANCIENT OLIVE TREE Acrylic pen on linen 101.6 x 76.6 cm £6000 www.nahemshoa.co.uk | nahem.shoa@aol.co.uk

LESLEY SLIGHT

NORWICH TRIPTYCH Oil on linen 40 x 92 cm 2021 £3000 www.lesleyslightpaintings.com | lesley@lesleyslightpaintings.com

KEVIN TOLE

DUAL: WOOD AND GRANITE Charcoal on paper 84 x 59cm £800 www.kevintole.com | kevin.tole@virginmedia.com

JACQUI WEDLAKE-HATTON

THE YEW TREE AND THE HOLLOWAY - O'DONOHUE'S PENUMBRAL PATH Oil on canvas 70 x 95 cm 2022 £1750 www.jacquiwedlakehatton.com | wedlakehatton@icloud.com

DAVID WISEMAN

TANGLED BANK DISTANT WATER Acrylic on canvas 76 x 100 cm 2021 £2250 www.davidwiseman.org.uk | davidcwiseman@yahoo.com

STEVE BAKER

IN SHERINGHAM PARK Giclée Print Edition of 3: 1/3 59 x 87 cm £525 www.steve-baker.com | sbaker1@uclan.ac.uk

CAROLYN BLAKE

GOLDEN TREE Graphite Pastel on Paper 29 x 20 cm 2021 £500 www.carolynblake.co.uk | info@carolynblake.co.uk

JAMES COLMAN

SPRING RUSH 2021 Oil on board 40 x 40 cms 2022 £475 www.jamescolman.co.uk | jamescolmanart@hotmail.com

GARY COOK

SUN WORSHIPER Ink, watercolour and charcoal 50 x 66 cm 2021 £1850 www.cookthepainter.com | gary@cookthepainter.com

JANE COURQUIN

WOODLAND WITH POMEGRANATE Oil on board 21 x 30 cm Price on request janecourquin@hotmail.com

FRANK CREBER

SWAMPY AND THE HS2 PROTEST Acrylic on canvas 60 x 80 cm 2022 £600 www.frankcreber.space | frankcreber@gmail.com

GRAHAM CROWLEY

END PIECE Oil on canvas 90 x 120 cm 2021 POA www.grahamcrowley.co.uk

MIKE DODD

THE GLASTONBURY THORN Coloured pencil 44 x 63 cm 2021 £800 www.mike-dodd.com | mdodd677@gmail.com

FERHA FAROOQUI

ARBOREAL GRACE Acrylic glaze on wood panel 120 x 65 cm 2022 £5995 www.ferhafarooqui.weebly.com | ferhafarooqui39@googlemail.com

ALEX FAULKNER

THEN SHALL THE TREES… Oil on board 49 x 59 cm 2022 £1250 alexcfaulkner@gmail.com

RICHARD GILBERT

THE SACRED OAK Oil on canvas 122 x 91.5 cm 2020 £1490 www.richardgilbert.co.uk | richardgilbertart@gmail.com

DEBORAH GOATLEY-BIRCH

THE DURLEY BIRCHES Acrylic on canvas 76 x 50 cm £1200 www.deborahgoatleyart.com | deborahci@icloud.com

ELIZABETH HANNAFORD

SEEING IS BELIEVING? (forest) Mixed media on canvas 50 x 50 cm £1300 www.elizabethhannaford.com

MICHAEL JOHNSON

REWILDING ESTATE (KETT'S WOOD) Oil on canvas 77 x 91 cm £2400 michaelalanjo@hotmail.co.uk

URSULA LEACH

TREE AND CLOUD Oil on Canvas 60 x 80 cm 2021 £1800 ursulaleach@hotmail.com

CHARLES MACCARTHY

THOMAS MERTON'S TREES Oil on paper on board 21 x 29.5 cm 2021 £500 www.charlesmaccarthy.co.uk | contact@charlesmaccarthy.co.uk

FLORA MCLACHLAN

ALL SHALL BE WELL Etching 40 x 44cm 2017 £400 www.floramclachlan.co.uk | flora@murky.net

ANGE MULLEN BRYAN

WHISPER Oil on linen 92 x 92 cms 2022 £3400 www.angemullenbryan.com | alenapost2@yahoo.com

MELANIE ROSE

YEW WOOD AT YULE WITH GASTROPOD (OLD WINCHESTER HILL) Egg tempera, chalk gesso, metal leaf on birch plywood 40 x 64 cm 2022 £550 www.melanierose.org.uk | melanieroseart@hotmail.co.uk

ANGELA RUMBLE

YEW AT EASTLING Oil on Canvas 80 x 80 cm £800 www.angelarumble.co.uk | angelarumble55@gmail.com

FRANCES RYAN

SPIRIT OF TWEMLOW Acrylic and collage on gesso panel 36 x 36 cm £950 www.francesryan.com | info@francesryan.com

MELISSA SCOTT-MILLER

MOUNT STREET GARDENS Oil on canvas 50 x 70 cm 2021 £2000 www.scott-millerart.com | melissascottmiller@gmail.com

COLIN SELF

OAK TREES, WHITE WOMAN LANE, OLD CATTON Oil on canvas 57 x 62 cm 1981 NFS

GIGI SUDBURY

TWO HAWTHORNS, SHOREWOOD, SOUTH WALES Mixed Media 21 x 29.5 cm 2021-22 £680 gigisudbury@yahoo.co.uk

PETER URSEM

THE KING'S OAK Lino print Limited Edition of 8 91 x 60 cm 2022 £1200 www.peterursem.co.uk | peter@peterursem.co.uk

’‘The sacred tree, the sacred stone are not adored as stone or tree; they are worshipped precisely because they are hierophanies, because they show something that is no longer stone or tree but sacred, the ganz andere or 'wholly other.”

Mircea Eliade

A hierophany is a manifestation of the sacred. The word is a formation of the Greek adjective hieros (Greek: ἱερός, 'sacred, holy') and the verb phainein (φαίνειν, 'to reveal, to bring to light')

THE ARBOREALISTS The Arborealists were formed in 2013, the brain-child of curator and artist Tim Craven after the critical success of Under the Green Wood : Picturing the British Tree, an exhibition he co-curated with Steve Marshall and Professor Anne Anderson at St Barbe Museum and Art Gallery, Lymington, Hampshire. This exhibition was formed of two distinct parts. Part one was an historical review of artists who had occupied themselves drawing and painting trees and tree-landscapes and included, John Constable, Paul Nash and Paul Sanby amongst other nineteenth and twentieth century celebrated artists. Part two featured 32 contemporary artists, represented by one work each, and included a Turner Prize short-listee and two Royal Academicians but also less well-known artists who had given trees, forests and woods a special value and who had developed new perceptions of painting and language while painting trees. The exhibition showcased a great diversity of art practice, including scale, medium, style and philosophy, centered around the unifying subject of the tree.

Under the Greenwood proved a substantial critical success, and in particular Andrew Lambirth wrote a perceptive and illuminating review of a genre that was so at odds with the prevailing orthodoxy. Under the Greenwood part 2 subsequently toured to the Gerald Moore Gallery, Eltham College, South London. Many of the original group of artists and others then formed together to become The Arborealists was and included painters and printmakers.

One of the precepts of the Arborealists is to invite local artists to exhibit with them when ever and where ever they mounted an exhbition in order to enrich the exhibitions. Each time they have exhibited it has been to critical and popular success. In 2014 they were invited to the Royal West of England Academy in Bristol and 2015 to the National Trust's Mottisfont Abbey, Romsey, Hampshire. The Arborealists are now regularly invited to exhibit in other venues and there are two major publications associated with them Under the Green Wood, Picturing the British Tree and The Arborealists, both published by Sansoms & Co, Bristol, 2013 and 2016.

The reason for the success of the Arborealist exhibitions is threefold 1) the artists themselves , all of whom are trained professionals who often but not exclusively objectify 'trees' in their ongoing practice ; 2) as Walter Sickert observed in 1907 at the inaugauration of the Fitzroy Street Group; It is more interesting to see the work of five or seven artists than one and 3) All of us love trees and as Hermann Hesse on What Trees Teach Us About Belonging and Life says : When we have learned how to listen to trees, then the brevity and the quickness and the childlike hastiness of our thoughts achieve an incomparable joy.

www.arborealists.com

Inside covers: DUAL: WOOD AND GRANITE by Kevin Tole Front and back cover: DIDNT KNOW THEN THAT I’D ALREADY LOST YOU by Lara Cobden

TREES AND THE SACRED THE ARBOREALISTS & GUESTS

Catalogue designed by Lara Cobden 2022